HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2332        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3349

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act relative to motorist safety..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Chapter 90 of the general laws shall be amended by adding after section 14B, the following new section:

Section 14C.   No motor vehicle with a roof area larger than ten square feet shall be operated on the public roads with an accumulation of snow or ice on said roof if such accumulation is one quarter of an inch thick or greater. It shall be the responsibility of the vehicle owner as well as the operator to ensure the removal of accumulated snow and ice from a vehicle before the vehicle is operated on any public way.

An operator of a non-commercial vehicle who violates any provision of this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty dollars for each offense which does not cause personal injury or property damage and, five-hundred dollars for offenses resulting in personal injury or property damage.

An operator of a commercial vehicle who violates any provision of this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than one-hundred dollars for each offense which does not cause personal injury or property damage and five-hundred dollars for offenses resulting in personal injury or property damage.